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I totally agree that physical buttons are always better for basic controls like volume. My 2015 CR-V has a really bad touchscreen for volume control and no physical buttons. For me, as the driver, it is fine, as I also have buttons on the steering wheel, but for the passenger, it is awful.

Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?

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Aug 15, 2019, 05:21 PM

Looks like a bracket for a pump, possibly power steering?

Anything thick and metal should be a good engine ground. If you have a multimeter, you can measure the ohms between your proposed grounding spot and the battery negative terminal. Should be no more than a couple tenths of an ohm.

Anything thick and metal should be a good engine ground. If you have a multimeter, you can measure the ohms between your proposed grounding spot and the battery negative terminal. Should be no more than a couple tenths of an ohm.

Thank you!

I do have a multimeter, so I’ll check.

It looks like an ideal spot. I just wanted to be sure I wasn’t clamping to a fuel pump, or something similarly bad.

I ordered a Tesla Model 3 performance model in metallic gray. I first choose red, but I was told it was too ostentatious so I changed to metallic gray. Where I live, there are very, very few customization options for the Model 3, so I got the 19'' aero sport wheels, which is different from the aero wheels and the sport wheels in the US. I think it is a good compromise.

Here is a comparison, with the aero sport wheels, aero wheels, and sport wheels.

I ordered a Tesla Model 3 performance model in metallic gray. I first choose red, but I was told it was too ostentatious so I changed to metallic gray. Where I live, there are very, very few customization options for the Model 3, so I got the 19'' aero sport wheels, which is different from the aero wheels and the sport wheels in the US. I think it is a good compromise.

I've been enjoying my Model S the last few weeks. Same metallic gray. I went with the cream and wood interior. I'm not the customizer type so I stuck with the normal wheels. Oh the torque. The lousy torque of sedans was why I got my boxster way back when.

You still have CO2 tailpipe emissions, though the NOx and CO emissions are lowered to levels that Honda claims are below what is generated to produce the power to charge a fully-electric car.

They also capture fuel vapor from the fuel tank that would normally be released as fuel warms and cools, and it captures fuel vapor sitting inside the engine when it's turned off that would normally evaporate and leave through the air filter.

It won't be useful going forward - no wonder they're ending the classification. PZEV relies on the assumption carbon is emitted at upstream power plants. But California is headed for a carbon-free grid (except those mid-summer heat spikes, when we buy power from everyone remotely nearby).

The national trend has been towards carbon reduction too, mostly for economic reasons. Natural gas (which emits less carbon per KWH than other fossil fuels) is cheaper than coal, oil, or diesel. Wind is now cheaper than coal in most places. Solar is nearly as cheap as wind, and dropping faster.

As carbon vanishes from the grid, the PZEV assumptions require lower and lower emissions values. Which would require greater efficiency and specialized (expensive) hardware. Eventually a PZEV will become more expensive than a straight battery-powered EV.

Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?

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Sep 3, 2019, 03:05 PM

I'm curious if it's a vinyl wrap or if they were actually ****ing stupid enough to spray the aerosol Plasti-Dip over the whole car. It's advertised as "just peels right off!" but it does not, at least not when you want it to. The wheels are proof that it does peel off, but not how you want.

Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?

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Sep 3, 2019, 04:32 PM

In your first pic, I see bumps above the passenger headlight, I see white peeking through around the headlights and next to the fog lights, I see a big ol' seam directly under the fog light, and the wrinkles you posted are just shitty installation, not damage. It's a bad amateur job.

I don't know my Audi models so I have no idea what that thing cost, but apparently it cost enough that he couldn't spring $3-5k for a pro wrap job.

I was thinking about getting my upcoming car wrapped. I read it protects the car from grit on the road such as pebbles, sand, etc. It is just a thin piece of plastic that is overlayed on the car. If it is damaged, it peels off and another one can be applied on top of it. Some wraps add the matte look also that some people like.

Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?

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Sep 4, 2019, 09:20 AM

Originally Posted by andi*pandi

why would someone wrap a car (not for advertising purposes)? cheaper than paint?

A pro wrap job isn't much cheaper than a real paint job. Cheap vinyl material alone is $400-500 to do a normal car, the good 3M-branded vinyl is about $1000. If you and your buddy decide to do it over a few beers you'll end up looking like that Audi, probably a bit worse. If you go to a pro shop, expect to spend another couple grand. 3M claims their vinyl is good for 7 years, but isn't removable after 3. They only warranty horizontal surfaces for a year before the sun breaks it down and you can get fading, color change, or peeling. The advantage is that you can peel a wrap off and in theory, your factory paint is kept in perfect condition beneath it.

Likewise, you can get a cheap Maaco paintjob for $400-900. A quality pro respray will be in the neighborhood of $3000-5000. A show-car quality job will be $8000+.

Think of wraps vs. paint jobs like Henna vs. a real tattoo. Henna is fun because you get to try out a new look. Eventually it fades away and you're back to normal. With a tattoo, it's a permanent change and you better be sure you want to do it, because there's no going back.

Things I don't like about my current car:
- Ford SYNC 2 (shitty, also no CarPlay)
- Thirsty (averaged 19.2mpg over the last 27,000 miles)
- Not a hatchback

Obvious answer: The same car but newer, so it comes with CarPlay. Same roominess, quicker (newer version is 3.0 twin turbo vs. 3.7 NA), same comfy, same AC seats. Downsides are just as thirsty, still not a hatchback. Would probably run about $26k for one with the right options.

Weird answer: second gen Chevy Volt.

Advantages:
- Hatchback
- Anti-thirsty (300-some cars on Fuelly are averaging about 80mpg, would save about $1000/year in gas)
- CarPlay
- Still kind of quick (0-60 and 50-70 times are within spitting distance of current car, definitely faster than my 2013 Focus hatch)
- Decent tech available, at least on par with current car
- A decent one is under $18k

Disadvantages:
- Not quite as roomy - 35" rear legroom vs current 38". Not sure if kids would fit. It's about the same as a current BMW 3-series
- No AC seats

People seem to like them, and it's a shame that GM a) didn't really market the car at all and then b) killed it. It had a lot of things going for it - decent performance, range (and no range anxiety), roominess, good tech, not a Prius, etc.

Laminar, When are your kids old enough to just have boosters, which take up less room?

I have the opposite problem, tall kids. We bought a 2007 Honda Pilot with 3rd row for road trips and carpooling kid trips, but now noone wants to sit back there in tinykneeroomland. Some of younger daughters friends still fit so it worked for a beach trip. 2 adults, 6 kids. Cars should come with a cone of silence for the driver.

Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?

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Sep 5, 2019, 03:55 PM

Originally Posted by andi*pandi

Laminar, When are your kids old enough to just have boosters, which take up less room?

The oldest is 6, 48" tall, and just moved to a slim backed booster that uses the car's seatbelt. The youngest is 1, tiny, and just moved to the 6 year old's former front-facing seat.

I no longer need the immense rear legroom that a rear-facing seat requires, which is why I'm entertaining something else. My biggest problem is that a booster raises legs up to where shoes have to fit between the rear seat bottom and front seat back, the legs aren't long enough to tuck feet under the front seat. I'd have to test fit.

Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?

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Sep 6, 2019, 08:17 AM

First or second gen Volt?

A Model 3 would be cool, but they're still over $40k used. The Volt is FWD which is great for the snow. I'd have to get an AWD 3 to manage winter time, which bumps the price up a bunch. The back seat is the same size between the two. I'm sure the 3 is much better to drive, but the cost:value isn't there for me.

The oldest is 6, 48" tall, and just moved to a slim backed booster that uses the car's seatbelt. The youngest is 1, tiny, and just moved to the 6 year old's former front-facing seat.
.

Please reconsider when it comes to the youngest. Age 1 is much too soon to move to a front facing car seat. I have worked with car seats for years and seen crash test videos - that is not safe. Even a moderate crash leads to neck injuries. My nephew was kept in the rear facing seat until he was 4, and he is tall for his age (he is 5 now, and taller than your 6-year old).

The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.

Maybe I'll buy one of those old station wagons with a rear-facing rear seat and just keep the kids back there.

Speaking as a former kid who regularly had to ride back in those seats, I’d advise against it. Exhaust fumes had a way of seeping back into that area. You’d get out of the car a little woozy, especially after a long trip. Depends on how you feel about your kids, of course.

My vivid memory of riding in the back of one of those station wagons is being stuck in traffic, and looking out the back window all I could see was MACK filling the frame. It then occurred to me I was in danger of becoming squashed.

but at least that station wagon had real installed seats, if not seatbelts. I also recall riding in the back of a pickup truck with no seat or nuthin.

How could a 4yo fit in a rear facing seat? We had to turn my son at a year also because his knees were in his face.

There must be some difference between the seats, then, because in Sweden it is standard to turn kids around when they’re age 4 or so.

I’m actually not a big fan of car seats for larger children. You need a cushion to raise the child (because the seat belt will not hold them otherwise - the child will slide forward under the seat belt, so-called submarining) but having a complete seat is in my view an effect of older cars without real head restraints in the back seat.

The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.

Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?

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Sep 11, 2019, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by P

There must be some difference between the seats, then, because in Sweden it is standard to turn kids around when they’re age 4 or so.

Kids generally start in a baby carrier that latches into a base.

That's what kids grow out of pretty quickly. This one will fit kids up to 35lbs and up to 32" tall. That's basically a one to two year old.

Then you can switch to a larger rear-facing seat like this one:

That's rated for up to 40lbs in rear-facing config, which is basically a 4 year old.

Laws vary by state, but generally kids have to be rear-facing until 1 year of age, then it's some kind of booster until 6 or so. Best practices are well-shared and say to keep kids rear-facing as long as possible.